Red Eyed Demon
by Wolfy1515
Summary: Stephen and Emily get more than they bargained for while investigating paranormal activity in Mawnan, England. Short story about the Owlman. Rated for blood and violence.


**I wrote this after seeing the "Death Raptor" episode of "Lost Tapes." This is my first attempt at horror, so go easy on me.**

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Shrieks arose from the usually quiet town of Mawnan Smith in Cornwall, England. Blood-curdling screams that could make a man shake in his boots echoed through the dark forest. The moon's eerie glow provided the only light. A group of people fled from their homes and into the surrounding woods. An ominous shadow, silhouetted by the moon, followed close behind.

A man fell behind and was the first to go. One by one, they were picked off. Only a man and a woman remained. They ran straight into an open glade. The flapping of wings had faded. The shadow could no longer be seen. The pair stopped for a moment to rest. A fatal mistake.

The beast descended upon them from its hiding place in the trees. The couple's screams pierced the silence, then abruptly stopped. Blood spattered the once-serene glade. The creature's hisses and screeches hung in the air like mist after a humid rain.

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The case was on the front page of every newspaper in England, and left authorities baffled. An entire town empty, its residents slaughtered in one night. No bodies. With the amount of blood found at the scene, no one could have possibly survived. The investigators had no leads, not even a sane theory. The only evidence found was large claw marks on houses, trees, and rocks, along big, bird-like footprints. The only DNA evidence was blood from the townspeople and saliva from an unidentified species of owl, which investigators brushed off as a coincidence.

No one was more interested in the case than Stephen Hayes, a paranormal investigator famed for his reports on hauntings. He began to believe that no human could be capable of committing such a massacre and leave no evidence or bodies. Stephen attempted to talk to the investigators working the case, but no one would take him seriously. They didn't want the opinion of a "ghost chaser," as they liked to call paranormal fanatics. Stephen was unwilling to give up. He called his partner, Emily Gray, and they arranged a visit to the crime scene.

Through a little persuasion and impersonation, they gained access to the footprints and claw marks. After a minute of examination, Emily began to form a theory about the creature responsible. But soon, they were approached by a woman named Rose, who claimed to have seen the beast. She told them that it was the creature known as the Owlman, a monster half-man and half-owl. Some said the Owlman was a relic of the darker ages of England. Others said it was the result of genetic mutation. Most believed it was a demon sent to plague the countryside.

Despite Rose's attempts to convince them otherwise, Stephen and Emily decided to ignore the woman's warning and continue their investigation. Evidence led them into the woods. There, they found more blood and brown globs that resembled giant owl pellets. Curious, Stephen proceeded to cut one open. Out tumbled numerous bones, both human and animal. Stephen and Emily were quick to turn their finding over to local authorities, but continued with their own investigation.

It was then that Stephen got the idea to spend the night in the town, in hopes of capturing the Owlman on camera. Emily was against the idea at first, but came to agree with Stephen's logic. So the two crept into the town after dark and set up their sleeping bags in one of the houses. They set up their video equipment, including handheld camcorders that Stephen and Emily kept with them at all times, and they waited. After a few hours, they gave in to the need to sleep. A storm began brewing that night, an ominous sign of things to come.

They were woken in the middle of the night, a few minutes before midnight, by a loud banging on the door. Stephen and Emily got to their feet and tried to get a look at the stranger through the dirty window. Outside, the storm had grown worse; thunder roared and lightning crashed. A shadow moved away from the door and was instantly at the window. A bright flash of lightning revealed the monster. It was human in shape, but covered in glossy black feathers. Its wings were probably 10 feet from wingtip to wingtip. On its hands and feet were talons like black iron. Its eyes were glowing red, jewels from the pit of hell itself.

Emily screamed. The Owlman opened its beak and released an ear-piercing screech. Thin cracks branched out along the window glass. As the glass shattered, Stephen and Emily threw open the door and ran out into the woods. They heard a loud _whoosh_ behind them, and the Owlman hissed as it took to the sky. The two ran to the trees, hoping to find shelter. The full moon crested over the highest branches, illuminating the forest with pale light. Stephen and Emily looked up and saw the glowing red eyes above them.

Then, the shadow disappeared. All was quiet. Stephen and Emily continued deeper into the forest until they came upon an open glade. The moon looked down on them like an evil eye. Stephen released an explosive breath and sat down on the ground. Emily collapsed against a tree. There was a loud creaking sound, followed by the rapid snapping of branches. A dark form tumbled out of the tree and fell in a heap on the ground in front of them. Stephan and Emily screamed. It was the half-eaten corpse of a man. Judging by the decay, he'd been in the tree for a few weeks.

A screech rose above the trees, and the Owlman descended on them. Talons outstretched, it dove downward, faster than any hawk could ever dive. Its talons pierced Stephen's shoulders, and he was heaved into the air. As his cries faded into the distance, Emily collapsed, sobbing bitterly. For what seemed like years, she knelt by that twisted tree, hugging herself and weeping like a frightened child. She was cold and drenched in rain water. Darkness closed in around her as clouds overshadowed the moon. Nothing moved. Nothing made a sound. The forest was holding its breath.

Out of the darkness came those two glowing red orbs. Lightning flashed, and Emily saw its face again. She tried to flee, but the Owlman was faster. It clamped its claws around her shoulders and lifted her up as it flew off into the night. Emily screamed and screamed, but no one could hear her. All the towns below were dark, and the thunder drowned out her voice.

The creature carried her to a cliff overlooking the forest. Before she could get a better look at her surroundings, she was dropped. She landed on branches and other plucked vegetation. The bowl-shaped structure was six feet in diameter. Bones decorated the bowl and the surrounding cliffs. Emily saw Stephen's bloody, clawed camera among the bones, still recording. The creature perched on a nearby cliff, wings folded and eyes fixed on its captive. Another creature appeared beside it. This one appeared to be the same species as the Owlman, but was smaller and more slender. Only then did Emily realize that the smaller owl-person was the Owlman's mate, and she was sitting in their nest.

She looked and saw three round objects nestled in one corner of the nest. Eggs. The shells cracked and splintered as the little monsters broke out. They all stared at Emily with big glowing red eyes. Then, they let out a high-pitched screech similar to the sound their parents made. They were hungry…

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**Like it? Hate it? Please review. I _might_ write a sequel to this.**


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